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Class of 1959 returns for Blossom Time
(by Sali McSherry - June 04, 2009)
Class of 1959 returns for Blossom Time
By SALI McSHERRY
As 32 members of the Chagrin Falls class of 1959 toured the over 100-year-old Philomethian School during Memorial Day weekend, memories came flooding back, said class member Al Thompson, who traveled from Fairfax, Va.
It was stunning to see how much things had remained the same, he said. "The cafeteria hasn't changed at all." The wall tiles are still there, the cafeteria line is still where it was, he said. "The floors we walked on 50 years ago are still there. Even the chemistry labs looked just about the same. Talk about getting mileage out of a building."
The class of 1959 was the last one to complete its entire kindergarten-through-senior-year career at Philomethian School, Mr. Thompson said. Classmates arrived for the reunion from California, Texas, Florida, New York, Vermont and France, among other locations. Seventeen members have died, he said.
Classmate Patricia Barriball Gale said, "Hanging out with your friends seems to be one of the unique pleasures of growing up, and, each time we get together, we can just hang out like the kids we all were. Plus, there's the wisdom that comes with growing older, having children, our children having children and finding our private ways through what our late, memorable English teacher Miss Carroll used to characterize as the dog-eat-dog realities of life. Our respect for one another has matured and become ripe and delicious with caring and love."
Class president Rick Thomas presided over the weekend, which included a tour of the old school by alumni association director emeritus Thomas Mattern, a picnic at Beartown Lakes Reservation in Bainbridge and a celebration dinner at the Bertram Inn in Aurora.
Classmate Loretta Rufener Pinkett said, "It's interesting that each time our class gets together after five years it is as if we had seen each other yesterday. It's a very comfortable feeling. It is like putting on a pair of old slippers."
The class, which at the time was the district's largest ever, was also the first to hold its commencement ceremony at the athletic field at the now upper school campus, a tradition that lives on, Mr. Thompson said.
Classmate Suzie Class Feick said, "The best thing for me was how comfortable our classmates who attended are together after 50 years. We are all grateful to have grown up in Chagrin Falls when we did. Our relationships picked up as if we've been together each and every year. It was fun to work together via the Internet as a team and plan the reunion. It called for us to keep in touch frequently and be together in spite of distance."
The class also was the first one that hosted foreign exchange students. Annie Rigoutat Sotty, of France, returned for the 50th reunion with her husband, Dominique. Nozomu Nakagawa, of Japan, previously returned for the 40th reunion, Mr. Thompson said.
"In keeping with a theme of 'Celebrating Literacy,' the class collected more than 350 books for students in the Chagrin Falls Park Community Center summer reading program," he said. Classmate the Rev. Carolyn Groth Huber was instrumental in collecting the books, and classmate and Fireside Books owner James Lewis made books available at a discount, he said.
The class also raised more than $2,000 to benefit a teacher or student. The money will fund an educational opportunity that would otherwise be unavailable to a teacher or student. The class will favor applications designed to yield concrete benefits to the recipient and community, according to a letter to the class. The grant will be distributed through the Chagrin Falls Educational Foundation.
An ongoing class project is the publication of the book, "Chagrin Falls, Ohio: Our Town in Our Time," a story of growing up in Chagrin the 1940s and 1950s. Phelps Nichols is editing and coordinating the book project, Mr. Thompson said.
According to Mr. Nichols, "The book will be a nostalgic journey through the years when, among other momentous changes, our music evolved from crooners and big bands to rock 'n' roll,'" Mr. Thompson said.
Three members of the class are in the alumni hall of fame, Mr. Thompson said, including the late Lee Crawford, Dr. Claudia Mayner Greenwood, and Art Davidson.
He said classmates who were instrumental in planning the weekend were Mrs. Pinkett, Meta Strick, Mrs. Gale, Sally Gilson, Karl Haecker, Leanne Pealer, Richard Hallstrom and Carol Nye May.
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